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Twins-Cubs Preview

Jun 12, 2009 - 12:59 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Minnesota (30-31) at Chicago (29-27), 2:20 p.m. EDT

Minnesota Twins right-hander Kevin Slowey has benefited from generous run support to stay among the major league leaders in wins, but he hasn't gotten much on the road lately.

Chicago Cubs rookie right-hander Randy Wells hasn't received much backing from his team's hitters or bullpen this season.

While looking to help the Twins to a rare win at Wrigley Field, Slowey will try to bounce back from a rough outing and earn his ninth win of the season in Friday's opener of a three-game series against the Cubs.

Chicago, on the other hand, will attempt to help Wells earn his first major league victory in his first start against an AL opponent.

Slowey (8-2, 4.21 ERA) has received 7.8 runs of support per start from the Twins - fourth-best in the majors - and is 8-0 when getting more than two runs. In his last three road starts, however, the Twins (30-32) have given him a combined four runs, and Slowey has lost twice, including Sunday's 4-2 defeat in Seattle.

In his first loss since May 6, Slowey allowed four runs and 10 hits over 4 2-3 innings to remain tied for second in the majors with eight victories behind Toronto's Roy Halladay (10). He gave up a season-high three home runs after allowing four in his previous eight starts.

"I just couldn't get the ball down," he told the team's official Web site. "I just didn't throw well."

Slowey will make his first career start against a Cubs team that's scored one run in consecutive losses. Chicago (29-28) tied Thursday's series finale in Houston on Derrek Lee's ninth-inning solo home run, but the Astros' Geoff Blum had his second winning hit in as many games to hand the Cubs a 2-1 defeat in 13 innings.

"I know the game isn't the easiest in the world to play, because I played it for a long time," manager Lou Piniella said. "But it's not this hard, come on."

That doesn't bode well for Wells (0-2, 1.86 ERA), who has five straight quality starts since throwing five scoreless innings in his season debut May 8 after being recalled from Triple-A Iowa.

He received six runs of support in his first four starts, but it's the Cubs bullpen that's been more to blame recently for keeping him from his first major league victory.

Wells allowed two runs over 6 2-3 innings Sunday in Cincinnati, but Carlos Marmol failed to record an out and gave up the tying run in the eighth inning of a 6-3 win in 14 innings. Wells took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and yielded one earned run June 2 in Atlanta, but Marmol allowed a run in the eighth and Kevin Gregg gave up two in the ninth in a 6-5 loss in 12 innings.

"It stinks not getting the win," Wells told the team's official Web site. "But stuff happens. That's baseball."

The Twins missed out on a season-high third straight road win Thursday as Oakland rallied for a 4-3 victory by scoring all of its runs over the final two innings.

Minnesota, 3-4 on a 10-game road trip, has dropped seven of nine all-time meetings at Wrigley, including a three-game sweep from June 15-17, 2001, in its previous trip there.

The Twins, however, swept a three-game set at the Metrodome the last time they faced Chicago from June 23-25, 2006.

Twins infielder Nick Punto, who has been out since May 20 with a right groin strain, is expected to be activated from the disabled list Friday, but outfielder Denard Span could miss the series with dizziness.